International Science Promoting Innovation and entREpreneurship (INSPIRE) is an Erasmus Mundus Action 2 project that has identified a very concrete and structurally important node for development of the South African knowledge triangle. In the intricate system of interaction between research, education and innovation INSPIRE will focus on the creation of and development of support structures that can transfer results from research into the private sector for refinement before product development to be used in industry.

The process of transferring science to be explored and commercialized is still underdeveloped and there is a need to develop good governance at universities in order to initiate and uphold partnerships between the public and private sectors. The INSPIRE-project will tackle this is issue by training South African students and staff within the EU-universities’ innovation/entrepreneur centers. INSPIRE will also, thanks to participating associate organizations, build a network for INSPIRE-alumni in which they can continue to grow personally and professionally.

The outcome of INSPIRE will leave South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with highly trained administrative staff that can run an innovation/tech-transfer office; with academic researchers and students that have studied in highly advanced universities in Europe and been educated in the process of transferring science into viable businesses; and with an EU-South African network of universities that will continue to develop new modes of collaboration within the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The theme of INSPIRE is selected in order to promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In doing so INSPIRE has chosen to give priority to a number of academic themes that align themselves with the priorities set for innovation in the development strategy of the South African Department of Science and Technology for the period 2011-2016.

Our Associates

In order to help the project towards the set goals INSPIRE is also happy to be working with eight organizations.

ESASTAP+ (www.esastap.org.za/) is a policy project in innovation within FP7 where the DST and the EU-commission are partners. ESASTAP+ works to evaluate the progress of interregional collaboration within innovation between the EU and South Africa. During the first conference in Cape Town ESTASTAP+ will provide the consortium with an overview of current work and policies. ESASTAP+ will also help placing the INSPIRE project into the greater schematic of the innovation apparatus in South Africa. ESASTAP+ also has a responsibility in promoting Horizon 2020 and other communal funding schemes and will present these during the first conference.

The Innovation Hub (www.theinnovationhub.com) in Johannesburg is an organization providing support to academics to realize their business ideas. Working closely with the regional government of the Gauteng Province as well as the universities in the region it will be an important associate for reaching target group 2 applicants from University of the Witwatersrand, Tschwane University of Technology, University of South Africa and Vaal university of Technology. The Innovation Hub will also present their work in the first conference held in Cape Town as well as connect with all grant holders from the Gauteng province to introduce them to their support services after their return to South Africa.

HERS-SA (www.hers-sa.org.za/) is dedicated to the advancement and leadership development of women in the Higher Education sector in South Africa. HERS-SA will strongly contribute in targeting women within the academic sector to apply for an EMA2 scholarship. HERS-SA will also take an active role in supporting female grant holders in becoming established leaders within their sectors as they return to South Africa after their mobility.

The Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD) (sanord.uwc.ac.za), The Coimbra Group (CG) (www.coimbra-group.eu/) , International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) (www.ieasa.studysa.org/) are university networks to which all the partners belong. These networks will be instrumental in marketing the scholarship opportunities for both target group 1 and target group 2 applicants. Through IEASA the project will reach the responsible vice-rector for internationalization within all South African HEIs.

Ung Företagsamhet (UF) (www.ungforetagsamhet.se) & Drivhuset (www.drivhuset.se/) - Are two Swedish organizations that work to promote entrepreneurship to young people aged 15 and up. In doing so UF holds large national competitions for high school students in which they will need to create and run their own real business for a period of a couple of months. Drivhuset challenges university students to try out their business proposals and in exchange they provide them with training in entrepreneurship as well as low cost office space to start their activities. Their work has a great impact on promoting creation of small and medium enterprises in Sweden as well as bringing the art of entrepreneurship to the attention of students at a young age.

The University of Pretoria (www.up.ac.za) has also agreed to act as a representative for Target Group 2 universities as well as with the quality assurance of the project.

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If candidates/applicants are selected (proposed for a scholarship/fellowship, put on the reserve list or enrolled on a self-paying basis) their data may be used for the purposes of evaluating the programmes, efficiently manage the projects, and producing statistics. Data could be made available to the EACEA, the European Commission, the European External Action Service staff, as well as to other stakeholders of the Erasmus+ programme, such as Erasmus+ National Agencies, National Erasmus+ Offices and the Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association.

With the Support of the Erasmus Mundus Programme of the European Union.